21David went to the priest Ahimelech in Nob. Ahimelech came out trembling to meet him and asked, "Why did you come here all by yourself ?"H935H1732H5011H288H3548H288H2729H7125H1732H559H3762"I am here on the king's business," David answered. "He told me not to let anyone know what he sent me to do. As for my men, I have told them to meet me at a certain place.H1732H559H288H3548H4428H6680H1697H559H376H3045H3972H1697H7971H6680H3045H5288H6423H492H47253Now, then, what supplies do you have? Give me five loaves of bread or anything else you have."H3426H3027H5414H2568H3899H3027H46724The priest said, "I don't have any ordinary bread, only sacred bread; you can have it if your men haven't had sexual relations recently."H3548H6030H1732H559H2455H3899H3027H3426H6944H3899H5288H8104H389H8025"Of course they haven't," answered David. "My men always keep themselves ritually pure even when we go out on an ordinary mission; how much more this time when we are on a special mission!"H1732H6030H3548H559H518H802H6113H8032H8543H3318H3627H5288H6944H1870H2455H6942H3117H36276So the priest gave David the sacred bread, because the only bread he had was the loaves offered to God, which had been removed from the sacred table and replaced by fresh bread.H3548H5414H6944H3899H3899H6440H5493H6440H3068H7760H2527H3899H3117H39477(Saul's chief herdsman, Doeg, who was from Edom, happened to be there that day, because he had to fulfill a religious obligation.)H376H5650H7586H3117H6113H6440H3068H8034H1673H130H47H7462H75868David said to Ahimelech, "Do you have a spear or a sword you can give me? The king's orders made me leave in such a hurry that I didn't have time to get my sword or any other weapon."H1732H559H288H3426H371H3027H2595H2719H3947H2719H3627H3027H4428H1697H1961H51699Ahimelech answered, "I have the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in Elah Valley; it is behind the ephod, wrapped in a cloth. If you want it, take it - it's the only weapon here." "Give it to me," David said. "There is not a better sword anywhere!"H3548H559H2719H1555H6430H5221H6010H425H3874H8071H310H646H3947H3947H312H2108H2088H1732H559H541410So David left, fleeing from Saul, and went to King Achish of Gath.H1732H6965H1272H3117H6440H7586H935H397H4428H166111The king's officials said to Achish, "Isn't this David, the king of his country? This is the man about whom the women sang, as they danced, 'Saul has killed thousands, but David has killed tens of thousands.' "H5650H397H559H1732H4428H776H6030H2088H4246H559H7586H5221H505H1732H723312Their words made a deep impression on David, and he became very much afraid of King Achish.H1732H7760H1697H3824H3966H3372H6440H397H4428H166113So whenever David was around them, he pretended to be insane and acted like a madman when they tried to restrain him; he would scribble on the city gates and let spit drool down his beard.H8138H2940H5869H1984H3027H8427H1817H8179H7388H3381H220614So Achish said to his officials, "Look! The man is crazy! Why did you bring him to me?H559H397H5650H7200H376H7696H93515Don't I have enough madmen already? Why bring another one to bother me with his crazy actions right here in my own house?"H2638H7696H935H7696H935H1004